Are you in?

Fashion and appearanceby Isabel Pascual

Listening

Watch a short scene from Sex and the City 2 and listen carefully to what they say.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1ZS1lkvaW6w

a. When did Carrie arrive in New York?

b. Which exact part of NY did she arrive in?

c. Besides “taxi”, what is the other word Carrie uses to try to stop the taxi?

d. Where did she meet Charlotte?

e. When did she meet Miranda?

f. What did Samatha do for a living in the 80's?

g. And finally, which colour are Carrie's shoes? Can you name the designer?

Speaking

1. According to the clip you just watched, how many differences can you find between

the 80's and the 00's? What decade do you prefer?

Reading & Use of English

The importance of getting your

appearance in order

Putting more thought into your appearance is one of the easiest ways to improve yoursocial prospects and the way people see you. It falls under the broader category ofnon-verbal communication. Unless you're really likable as a person, a lot of people willhave a hard time looking past a sloppy exterior. And why not live up to yourappearance's full potential?

Most people are pretty superficial and mentally lazy when they size others up. If youlook like you have your act together, they can't help but assume you really do. Theopposite is true too, if you don't look all that great, people will attribute all kinds ofnegative traits to you. But clean up your look, and suddenly you don't seem so bad,and they're more willing to give you a chance, even though you're the same persondeep down.

This article is about the kinds of good grooming and dressing that cuts across all socialgroups and identities. Sometimes certain ways of dressing or styling yourself arecentral to a group you belong to. I'm not saying everyone has to adopt a standardized'fashionable' uniform. I'm more talking about just looking the best you can, whateveryour scene is, and not selling yourself short.

For some people improving their appearance can have a drastic effect on their sociallives. As an example, several times I've heard anecdotes from people regarding theimpact of losing a lot of weight. Rightly or wrongly, when they got in better shapeeveryone started treating them much, much better. They realized:

For years I couldn't seem to get anywhere with people, even though Iconsidered myself someone who made an effort to be personable andfriendly and try to get to know everyone. I got pretty depressed andwondered what was wrong with me. Then I lost the weight, and it becameclear that my only problem in the past was that I was fat, and peopleweren't giving me a chance because of it. Now they suddenly think I'mlikable and worth knowing, even though I'm the same person.

I won't lie, stories like that can make you lose faith in your fellow man, but it doesdrive home how much outward appearances play a role in social situations.

1. According to the context, what do you think the underlined words mean?

2. Now, fill in the gaps with the missing word.

The two levels of improving your lookWhen I talk about looking better, there are two degrees of this. The first is to just getyourself looking half-decent and eliminate any blatant appearance-related mistakes.I'd have a hard time arguing that someone shouldn't at least do this. There aren't anydownsides at all to it.

The second level would be to put the effort into becoming more fashionable thanaverage. There are a lot of benefits to doing this, but it takes more work. You have tolearn about clothes and style, devote more time to shopping, and possibly spend moremoney.

You can read further in: http://www.succeedsocially.com/lookbetter

Speaking & Vocabulary

Are you shopaholic?

1. Are you shopaholic? Say how true these statements are for you: 1 is not true, 5 is very true.

1 2 3 4 5

1. I never feel like I have enough clothes.

2. When I see people with really nice things, I want to have them or go shopping for them.

3. I always need to have the best products available.

4. When I am upset, I calm down by shopping.

5. I never know where all my savings go.

6. I spend more money on myself than anything else.

7. I try to find confidence in how I look.

8. What people say about how I look really affects me.

9. I am ashamed if people see me when I'm not looking my best.

10. I can't put a limit on what I spend.

2. Work with a group to examine the results. Are there any patterns?

3. Work with a partner to define what you imagine to be the characteristics of a male shopper and the characteristics of a female shopper. Share your results with the class.

First thoughts & Vocabulary

1. Can you match these names of teenage/urban cults to the photographs? Which

do you know?

Skinheads Goths Hippies Punks

Mods Emos Chavs Skaters

2. Why do you think people need to belong to an urban tribe? When did they

appear?

3. Can you tell anything on these points for the cultures above?

· clothes · jewellery ·make up ·philosophy

·origins ·influences · interests

Reading

You are going to read a magazine article about Teenage Cults. Choose the most

suitable heading from the list A-H for each part (1-6) of the article. There is one extra

heading which you do not need to use. There is an example at the beginning.

A The teenage idol theory

B The class theory

C The drug culture theory

D The capitalist domination theory

E The negativity theory

F The global village theory

G The reaction theory

H The technology theory

Understanding Teenage Cults

Ever since the early 1950s there have been attempts to explain why youth cults

happen. None of them has been entirely convincing.

0: G

Teenagers want to show how different they are from their parents and, perhaps

more importantly, their older brothers and sisters. If the last fashion had long hair and

wide trousers, then the next one will have short hair and narrow trousers. There seems

to be a lot of truth in this.

1: ___

Because of films, records, television and radio, teenagers ara aware of what

their contemporaries are doing all around th English-speaking world. Almost as soon

as there were hippies in San Francisco, we had them too. A problem with this theory is

that the time has to be right for a style to be adopted. The main influence on teenagers

remains their friends.

2: ___

Teenagers imitate the people they look up to, chiefly film stars and pop

performers. When David Bowie used eye shadow, so did many of his male fans.

However, this only succeeds if the pop star is in tune with the way youth culture is

already going.

3: ___

Many developments in teenage culture were possible only because of new

technology. Electric guitars plus amplification meant you could have pop groups and

pop festivals. The transistor radio made pop music inevitable.

4: ___

This theory suggests that the nature of a youth cult is determined by the drugs

that it takes. Speed (amphetamine) equals aggression and energy -think of punks and

skinheads. Pot (cannabis) equals relaxation and mysticism - think of hippies. Even

'ordinary' society has its drugs, such as alcohol, nicotine, coffee, etc. But maybe the

style came before the drug.

5: ___

Youth culture happened because commerce understood that teenagers had

money to spend and worked out ways of making them buy more records, clothes and

concert tickets. This does not account for cults that were anti-consumerist like the

punks and hippies.

6: ___

This is a sophisticated left-wing theory. Youth cults assert the solidarity of young

people who are victimized by society. Skinheads take aspects of working class culture

to an extreme. They almost enjoy people looking down on them.

There is no simple explanation. My own

research points to these general observations.

Firstly, cults don't arrive fully-formed, flourish

and then die. They are constantly changing and

their message evolving. Secondly, teenagers only

join a cult if it feels right, but most kids want to

be something and cults give them something to

be.

Speaking

1. Which theory do you agree to? Could they be combined? Discuss with the group.

Language study

Conjuctions

Conjunctions are used to join verbs, adjectives or parts of a sentence together. Choose

the most appropriate conjunction, A, B or C, to complete the following sentences. The

sentences must agree with the sense of the article you have just read.

1. Teenagers want to show they're different … they react against their families

A. because B. but C. so

2. … do they react against their parents but against older brothers and sisters too.

A. Also B. Not only C. And

3. Young people know what's going on … communications are so good.

A. yet B. since C. so

4. … they are able to copy each other

A. Even so B. As well C. That's why

5. … teenagers copy pop idols, the stars have to understand what the young really

want.

A. As well as B. Because C. For

6. Pop music is popular … modern technology.

A. thanks B. because C. due to

7. There are other drugs … alcohol and nicotine.

A. as well as B. too C. besides

8. Businessmen invented youth cults … to exploit the young.

A. in order B. therefore C. also

9. …, this does not explain cults such as the punks.

A. In addition B. Nevertheless C. Therefore

10. Skinheads feel victimised by society. …, they form a culture of their own.

A. Consequently B. In order to C. And

Gossip Girl

Writing

Teenagers not only need help in fashion and style, but also in writing essays. Correct

the mistakes in the text below.

Although almost all people know drugs are dangerous

and can ruin them, there are many people who have

addicted them.

Some people have them because drugs makes them

feel good. There are other people who have drugs

because they feel alone or they want to escape from

they problem and unsatisfied situation.

It is said that there is no solution to the drug problem.

But even so, there are many things we can do to stop

the use of drugs. According to me, the government

should punished people who sell drugs severe.

Moreover, they should warn people how dangerous

drugs are and how do they harm people.

In adittion to this, the government would build a lot of

hospitals for people who are addicts. On the whole, I

think people should think about this problem much

more and try to improve the situation.

Use of English

1. Read the text below. Use the word given in capitals al the end of each line to form a

word that fits in the space in the same line. There is an example at the beginning.

Exercise

Exercise is one of the best ways of keeping depression away. Itimproves your body and your mind and ___________ you to performbetter in the work place and at home.

Proper ___________ is essential if you want to gent the most fromexercise wand you should also take into ___________ your heart rate.It can be _________ to do too much, which is why all good fitnessinstructors emphasise the __________ of 'listening to your body'.

When you first start you should use good ____________ because it'seasy to make the mistake of using the equipment _____________ ordoing too much at one time. Start slowly and build up gradually.

Exercise should not be seen as a ____________ task; it can be as easyas a quick walk. To increase your fitness __________, exercise for 20minutes a day, 4 to 6 times a week and you will notice a ___________in your body and mind in a few weeks.

DEPRESSEDABLE

BREATHCONSIDERHARMIMPORTANT

JUDGECORRECT

DEMANDSTEADYDIFFERENT

2. Read the text below and think of the word which best fits each space. Use only one

word in each space. There is an example at the beginning.

Vegetarianism

Vegetarians don't eat any meat, fish or poultry, and they avoid foods with animal

products in them. Some people avoid red meat but they include chicken and fish ___

their diet. These are often people who recognize _____ health benefits of a vegetarian

diet, but find they can't ______ up meat completely. This half-way position is

sometimes taken by people who are making the change ____ a completely vegetarian

diet. Vegans go one step further _____ other vegetarians, avoiding all foods of animal

origin, such as dairy produce, eggs and honey.

Vegetarians are growing in number. ____ estimated seven per cent of British people are

now vegetarian, and there are a _______ many others who only eat meat occasionally.

In the ____ few years, food manufacturers have expanded their vegetarian ranges, and

it has __________ a lot easier to choose an animal-free diet. Many restaurants also now

offer a wide variety ____ vegetarian dishes.

People might choose a vegetarian diet ____ moral or health reasons, ____ both. Some

vegetarians simply don't like the idea of eating other creatures, and they may dislike

the conditions in _______ many animals are kept before _________ killed for food.

Others may have become vegetarians ____________ of health benefits.

Speaking

Discuss with your fellow students: Do you think that a healthy way of living is a

matter of fashion? What's the importance of exercise and diet in daily appearance? Do

you think that self-consciousness plays a role in what concerns to physical appearance

and psychological wellness?

Listening

Watch this video taken out of Smarter than a 5th grader

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cey35bBWXls

1. Which joke does the showman play to the contestant?

2. Which answer did she want to say? Was it right? Why?

3. What's the correct answer? Why is she surprised? Does “homophony” happen with

another country?

4. What colour is the contestant's hair?

5. After all this, do you really think that physical appearance is related to psycological

skills? Are there any topics? Explain them to your fellow students.

Are you in?

Key to the exercises

Listening

a. 3,30 pm, Tuesday, June 11, 1986.

b. She arrived in Manhattan (the island).

c. “Cab”.

d. On a subway car (underground) at 2am.

e. They met in 1989.

f. She was a bartender, a waitress.

g. They are glitter-gold shoes.

Use of English

The two levels of improving your look

When I talk about looking better, there are two degrees of this. The first is to just getyourself looking half-decent and eliminate any blatant appearance-related mistakes.I'd have a hard time arguing that someone shouldn't at least do this. There aren't anydownsides at all to it.

The second level would be to put the effort into becoming more fashionable thanaverage. There are a lot of benefits to doing this, but it takes more work. You have tolearn about clothes and style, devote more time to shopping, and possibly spend moremoney.

Reading

1: F, 2: A, 3: H, 4:C, 5: D, 6: B

Language study - conjunctions

1: C, 2: B, 3: B, 4: C, 5: B, 6: C, 7: C, 8: A, 9:B, 10:A

Writing – correct the mistakes

Use of English

Exercise

1. enables

2. breathing

3. consideration

4. harmful

5. importance

6. judgement

7. incorrectly

8. demanding

9. steadily

10. difference

Vegetarianism

1. in

2. the

3. give

4. to

5. than

6. an

7. great

8. last

9. become

10. of

11. for

12. or

13. which

14. being

15. because

Listening

1. He jokes with her being a woman.

2. She would have said “France”. It would have been wrong, because Budapest is the

capital of Hungary. The capital of France is Paris.

3. The correct answer is Hungary. Se is surprised because this country sounds like

“hungry”, which means someone wants to eat (like “starving”, but not so strong).

Homophony also happens with Turkey, which is a country and also a meal that people

in the States use to cook for Thanks Giving.

4. She's blond.

5. There are some topics concerning blond women.

Bibliography and resources

Besides the links displayed on the worksheets (listenings), these are the resources from

which the materials have been taken of:

• NAUNTON, Jon (1996). Think First Certificate. Longman.

◦ ISBN 0-582-27628-4

• HARRISON & KERR (1996). First Certificate Practice tests. Oxford U. P.

◦ 0-19-453311-5

• Different Authors (2009). C1-Advanced English 3. EF.

◦ ISBN 978-3-03758-079-0

• http://www.succeedsocially.com/lookbetter